Improved apparatus for filtering liquids



vPATTINTED MAR. 7, 1865.

E. STEWART. OENTRIFUGAL FILTER.

'JIEI' UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ROBERT s'rnwnn'r, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

lMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FILTERING LlQUlDS, 84.0.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent, No. 16.72 3, dated March 7, 1365.

To all whom, it may concern Be it kuown'that I, ROBERT STEWART, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Centrifugal Filtering Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical central section of my improved filteringrmachine, the line a: a, Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2 isa horizontal section of the same in the line y 3 Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

lhe subject of this invention is an improvement 011 the filtering apparatus for which Letters Patent of the United States No. 35,441 were granted Horatio N I Fryatt on'the 3d day of June, A. D. 1862. In this machine there is nothing to prevent the escape of vapor at the central orifice,and only partially successf 111 provision is made against the overflow and escape of the liquid, for if. the liquid be introduced for a certain length of time faster than it is forced through the filtering-chamber the consequent accumulation must necessarily result, first, in the entire overflow of the filtering-chamber; and hence the mixture of the filtered with the unfiltered liquid, and then the escape and waste of the liquid through the opening at which it is introduced at top.

My improvement consists, chiefly, in so constructing the apparatus as to prevent the escape of vapor and the overflow of the liquid during the distilling process, there beingin my machine no communication with the interior, except that which is afforded by the.

pipe through which'the liquid is introduced,

. and the filtering-chambers through which the liquid is forced by centrifugal force during the rotation of the apparatus.

My improvement also includes the disk or circular flange hereinafter referred to, which is employed to cause the liquid toenter the filtering-chamber at a suitable elevated point to compensate for gravitation, which influences the liquid inits passage through the filtering medium.

In order that others skilled in the 'art to which my invention appertains may be enabled to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe it in detail,.with reference to the annexed drawings.

A reprcsentsa vertical shaft, having a beveled pulley, a, through which a rotary motion is given the shaft A by afriction-wheel, 13, whose shaft is provided with a pulley, B, re-. ceiving motion from a steam-engine or other source. By turning the wheel 0 the lever C! is made to elevate the shaft A to throw the pulley a out of contact with the friction-wheel B, and thus the operation of the machine may be suspended at amomentsnotice. The shaft A extends centrally through an immovable circular casing, D, sustained within or by -a frame, E.

Within the casing D, and fixed to the shaft A, so as to revolve therewith, arethree cylin ders, F F F", placed one withinthe-other. in

such manner as to form two filtering-chant,

hers, G G. I may here remark-that the cylinder F and chamber G are simply used to efl'ect av duplication of the filtering process, and are not to be regarded, as essential parts bf my apparatus. Each of the cylinders has a top and bottom, and is covered additionally by the casing D and frame E. They are all made pervious by perforations or otherwise, so that the liquid, when introduced-into the cylinder F, may pass thence into and through the chambers G and G, such passage or movement of the liquid being superinduced by the centrifugal force it receives under the rotation of the cylinders. The chambers G and G are filled with bone-black or other filtering material, and thefiltered liquid, issuing in a rarefied condition from the chamber G, gathers 011 the wings H, or on the sides'of the casing D, thence descends to the bottom of the latter, and passes off in a purified state through the disehargespout I. o

As the filtering process and also the effect of the rotation of the apparatus are well understood, I will not unnecessarily enlarge this descriptionby further dwelling thereon, but will proceed to explain the manner in which the liquid is introduced. 1

The upper part of the shaft A is made hollow or tubular, as seen at ft, and the liquid entering therein from the pipe J, to which the shaft A is coupled, passes into the chamber K, which is formedbetweert the shaft and the interior of the cylinder F through the branching apertures at". These latterlead into. the

chamberK at a point a little above its midheight, and the liquid on entering the said chamber K is received onto a disk or circular plate, L, which, as before mentioned, is used to give theliquid a tendency to enter the chamber G at the proper point to compensate for the influence of gravity upon the liquid, or, in other words, to prevent the larger quantity of liquid from accumulating in and moving through the chamber G, near the bottomthere of. The liquid is, however, allowed to pass gradually to the lower part of the'ehamber K through spaces between the periphery of the disk L and the cylinder F.

It is apparent that in the apparatus above described the liquid, after being introduced, has no place to escape, either in its natural form or in the form of vapor, except at the dischargespout I.

The apparatus is used for decolorizing, (lee dorizing, rectifying, and all similar purposes.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new, and desire to secured by Letters Patent- 1. In connection with the filtering-chamber G, the construction and arrangement of the central receivingehamber, K, and hollow shaft A, adapted to prevent the escape of the vapor and the overflow of the liquid, substantially as set forth.

2. The distributing-disk L, arranged and employed substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein described;

The above specification of my improved centrifugal I machine for filtering liquid signed this 25th day of January, 1865.

ROBERT STEWART.

Witnesses:

C. D. SMITH, OOTAVTUS KNIGHT. 

